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Each week a small segment of Vernon County history is published in the county papers.
For the week of 12/14/2025
by Kristen Parrott, curator
Working on an exhibit for the U.S. 250th recently, I chose a piece of sheet music just for the brightly-colored picture of the flag on the cover and for the title, “Hymn to Old Glory: The Star Spangled Flag of the Free”, thinking that this would be a background object. But then I saw that the words to the song were written by William Enoch Minshall. “Minshall” is a Vernon County name, and a little research revealed an interesting story.
William Enoch Minshall was born in Ohio in 1844 and moved to Viroqua with his family when he was 12. As a young man he worked as a typesetter and printer for the Northwestern Times newspaper, which was founded in 1856 and later became the Vernon County Censor.
Minshall served as a soldier throughout the Civil War, first in Company I of the 6th Wisconsin, a Vernon County company, enlisting in June of 1861. Other soldiers in the company included Earl Rogers and Francis Waller. He contracted typhoid fever, and was discharged in May of 1862 because of disability, but then re-enlisted a few weeks later, now in Company F of the 20th Wisconsin. Minshall fought in multiple battles during the war and suffered several injuries, including losing his left eye. He mustered out in July of 1865.
William married Emeline Rivenburgh of Sparta in 1867, shortly after the end of the Civil War. They moved to Chicago, where he worked for the Chicago Times newspaper. He eventually lost the vision in his other eye, and came to rely on his wife to be his “eyes”. But William continued to work, writing poetry and song lyrics, giving speeches and teaching elocution. He published the “Hymn to Old Glory” in 1915, the words recalling both Washington and Lincoln: “By Washington founded, by Lincoln safeguarded, We hail thee, Old Glory, flag of the free.”
Newspaper articles referred to Minshall as the “blind soldier”, the “blind veteran”, and the “blind vet of ‘61”, because of his Civil War experience. In earlier photographs, he sat turned to the left, so that his missing eye was not apparent. Possibly he got a glass eye when he was older, because he faces the camera in later photos.
Emeline died in Chicago in 1925. William then went to the soldiers’ home in Milwaukee where he died three months later. They are buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.
During the Civil War, Minshall had become friends with Rufus Dawes of Mauston, who was initially captain of Company K of the 6th Wisconsin, but rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel for the whole regiment. Rufus’ son Charles Gates Dawes grew up to become Vice President of the United States in 1925, and Minshall’s obituaries mention his connection to the family. Charles Dawes won the Nobel Peace Prize later that same year, after Minshall’s death.
You can see William Minshall’s music on the second floor of the museum in a new exhibit about the U.S. 250th.
Lyrics to this music were written by William Minshall, a Viroqua pioneer.
For the week of 12/7/2025
by Kristen Parrott, curator
Santas, Santas, everywhere! The theme of this year’s Holiday History Tour is Santa Claus, and you will find collections of Santas at several of the sites. The tour will be held this coming Sunday, December 14, from 12:30 to 4PM. It starts at the Vernon County Museum and History Center, where you can enjoy holiday treats, tour the exhibits, and purchase tickets. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5 to 12 (children under 5 are free).
Then travel on to the other four stops in and around Viroqua, which are the Sherry-Butt House at 795 N. Main St., the Foreaker School and old St. Mary’s Church at 606 W. Broadway, and the Colonel May Schoolhouse at E5732 Hwy. 56, west of Viroqua. Each of the five buildings is over 100 years old, dating from 1870 to 1922, and all will be decorated for the holidays. Enjoy food and drink at the history center, the church, and the Col. May school, and live music at the church and the Sherry-Butt House. Should be a great time!
The newly-installed heat on the upper floors of the museum is really wonderful, and you should stop by soon to experience it. Staff are working hard to install new exhibits in different spaces around the building this month, taking advantage of this improvement. A new display in the temporary exhibit room on the 2nd floor will focus on the U.S. 250th. Several pieces from the Helen Huschka glass collection will be featured in this space, with themes of George Washington and the American Revolution. Helen was a librarian in Viroqua, and ran a cattle farm with her husband, and she was a great collector of glassware.
Be sure to get your sweepstakes tickets soon! The Vernon County Historical Society’s annual sweepstakes drawing will be held on Wednesday, December 17, at 4PM, at the history center. Suggested donation for tickets is $5 each, and the prizes are all cash, from $50 to $300. Tickets are available at the history center during regular business hours.
Winter hours at the history center are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 11AM to 4PM, or by appointment – call 608-637-7396 to make an appointment. Please note that we will be closed during the week of Christmas (December 21 - 27) and the week of New Year’s (December 28 - January 3).
Santa collection on display at the Vernon County Museum and History Center.
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